Pricing Segmentation and Analytics is a five-chapter book written by Tudor Bodea, Assistant Professor in the Operations Group at the University of Groningen, and Mark Ferguson, Professor of Technology and Management at Georgia Tech's College of Management. The book was published by Business Expert Press in 2012. The pricing of products and services is among the most important decisions directly impacting the bottom line of any business. This book presents a highly methodical approach to pricing analytics, applying a set of tools that use historical sales data and mathematical optimization to set and update prices offered through various channels in order to maximize profit. The authors guide both students and professionals on how to identify and exploit pricing opportunities in various business contexts. The book's appendix explores the commonly used tool of logistic regression, specifically dichotomous logistic regression. Major topics include: linear and logistic regression models for dichotomous response variables, the estimation of dichotomous logistic regression models, the logit link function and the odds ratio, and the quality of the fit of a dichotomous logistic regression model.

Developing Winning Brand Strategies is a five-chapter book written by Lars Finskud, the founder and CEO of Vanguard Strategy and previous Global Brand Specialist at McKinsey & Co., and published by Business Expert Press in January of 2009. Written for both students and professionals in the fields of brand and strategic management, the book, the book introduces the relationships between branding, strategy, and corporate performance. It provides a fresh perspective on developing robust customer-focused strategies and describes the important role of the brand in competing successfully for stakeholder choice in today's changing world of industry deregulation, growing competitive intensity, newly empowered consumers, and multiple stakeholders. A major objective is to provide the reader with an in-depth understanding of business dynamics and consumers' product- selection criteria, thus facilitating the development of informed strategic decisions. Chapter 1 introduces the concept of stakeholder choice, or how a company must strive to stand out among its competitors and make itself the preferred choice of all stakeholders including: customers, employees, partners, and investors. The author begins by discussing consumer choice and provides tools for analyzing, measuring, and manipulating it

Developing Winning Brand Strategies is a five-chapter book written by Lars Finskud, the founder and CEO of Vanguard Strategy and previous Global Brand Specialist at McKinsey & Co., and published by Business Expert Press in January of 2009. Written for both students and professionals in the fields of brand and strategic management, the book, the book introduces the relationships between branding, strategy, and corporate performance. It provides a fresh perspective on developing robust customer-focused strategies and describes the important role of the brand in competing successfully for stakeholder choice in today's changing world of industry deregulation, growing competitive intensity, newly empowered consumers, and multiple stakeholders. A major objective is to provide the reader with an in-depth understanding of business dynamics and consumers' product- selection criteria, thus facilitating the development of informed strategic decisions. Chapter 2 focuses on the customer choice chain, a concept-based tool used to identify the various phases of development in consumers' attitudes toward or relationships with a brand. The author shows how this tool can be used to generate insights on performance, establish benchmarks, make strategic brand investment decisions, and influence the various degrees of consumer-brand relationships. The author also discusses questions to consider when tailoring the customer choice chain.

Developing Winning Brand Strategies is a five-chapter book written by Lars Finskud, the founder and CEO of Vanguard Strategy and previous Global Brand Specialist at McKinsey & Co., and published by Business Expert Press in January of 2009. Written for both students and professionals in the fields of brand and strategic management, the book, the book introduces the relationships between branding, strategy, and corporate performance. It provides a fresh perspective on developing robust customer-focused strategies and describes the important role of the brand in competing successfully for stakeholder choice in today's changing world of industry deregulation, growing competitive intensity, newly empowered consumers, and multiple stakeholders. A major objective is to provide the reader with an in-depth understanding of business dynamics and consumers' product- selection criteria, thus facilitating the development of informed strategic decisions. In Chapter 3, the author expands the choice chain tool discussed in Chapter 2 to include the firm's other stakeholders: employees, investors, and partners. The author discusses the concept of maintaining a balance or symmetry among these various stakeholders, including consumers, and the benefits of doing so. He then examines methods of delivering value to attract stakeholders. He goes on to examine the concept of choice dependency, or the degree of dependency that exists between stakeholders so that a brand can earn consumer choice and thus generate revenue.

Developing Winning Brand Strategies is a five-chapter book written by Lars Finskud, the founder and CEO of Vanguard Strategy and previous Global Brand Specialist at McKinsey & Co., and published by Business Expert Press in January of 2009. Written for both students and professionals in the fields of brand and strategic management, the book, the book introduces the relationships between branding, strategy, and corporate performance. It provides a fresh perspective on developing robust customer-focused strategies and describes the important role of the brand in competing successfully for stakeholder choice in today's changing world of industry deregulation, growing competitive intensity, newly empowered consumers, and multiple stakeholders. A major objective is to provide the reader with an in-depth understanding of business dynamics and consumers' product- selection criteria, thus facilitating the development of informed strategic decisions. Chapter 4 examines and integrates the areas central to brand and business performance comprehension and management. The author discusses at length the prerequisites for successful branding, the brand's architecture, and the varying value systems that must be aligned to ensure value creation.

Developing Winning Brand Strategies is a five-chapter book written by Lars Finskud, the founder and CEO of Vanguard Strategy and previous Global Brand Specialist at McKinsey & Co., and published by Business Expert Press in January of 2009. Written for both students and professionals in the fields of brand and strategic management, the book, the book introduces the relationships between branding, strategy, and corporate performance. It provides a fresh perspective on developing robust customer-focused strategies and describes the important role of the brand in competing successfully for stakeholder choice in today's changing world of industry deregulation, growing competitive intensity, newly empowered consumers, and multiple stakeholders. A major objective is to provide the reader with an in-depth understanding of business dynamics and consumers' product- selection criteria, thus facilitating the development of informed strategic decisions. In Chapter 5, the author examines the role and responsibilities of the CEO regarding brand stewardship. He discusses leadership methods to build a high-performing brand-development team and delineates five areas in which CEO's should seek to establish solid capabilities to support strategic and tactical initiatives for their brands. The author then considers the future of simulation modeling as an aid to strategic decision-making is explored. The chapter concludes with a series of questions to consider when understanding how firms effectively compete for stakeholder choice.

Strategic Leadership of Portfolio and Project Management is an eight-chapter book written by Timothy J. Kloppenborg, the Castellini Distinguished Professor of Management at Xavier University, Cincinnati, Ohio, and Laurence J. Laning, a thirty-year IT executive who also teaches at Xavier. The book was published in January of 2012 by Business Expert Press. Written for executives, managers, and students of strategic management, the text addresses the gap between executives who determine strategy and the project managers who implement it. The authors advise leadership teams on implementing strategy through identifying, selecting, prioritizing, resourcing, and governing an optimal combination of projects that collectively helps them achieve their strategic goals. The book also guides executives about what they need to do at each project stage and how they can ensure project managers understand fully how their projects contribute to overall strategy. Further, the authors detail how regular reporting and quarterly updates in planning help to ensure results; propose proven, simple methods of collecting integral data; examine effective decision making methods; and explain how portfolio and project decisions must be made based on data using reliable analytical methods. Chapter 1 introduces the central issue of the book: addressing the gap between executives who determine strategy and the managers who implement it. The four sets of competing objectives of executives and managers are described. The authors consider how each project proceeds through a life cycle and how a project's success is determined. The need for standards and the roles executives perform in leading an organization's portfolio of projects are introduced. The chapter concludes with an overview of the other chapters in the book.

Strategic Leadership of Portfolio and Project Management is an eight-chapter book written by Timothy J. Kloppenborg, the Castellini Distinguished Professor of Management at Xavier University, Cincinnati, Ohio, and Laurence J. Laning,a thirty-year IT executive who also teaches at Xavier. The book was published in January of 2012 by Business Expert Press. Written for executives, managers, and students of strategic management, the text addresses the gap between executives who determine strategy and the project managers who implement it. The authors advise leadership teams on implementing strategy through identifying, selecting, prioritizing, resourcing, and governing an optimal combination of projects that collectively helps them achieve their strategic goals. The book also guides executives about what they need to do at each project stage and how they can ensure project managers understand fully how their projects contribute to overall strategy. Further, the authors detail how regular reporting and quarterly updates in planning help to ensure results; propose proven, simple methods of collecting integral data; examine effective decision making methods; and explain how portfolio and project decisions must be made based on data using reliable analytical methods. Chapter 2 discusses portfolio management, or how to select the ideal set of projects and other work that collectively help an organization reach its goals. First, portfolio management is defined and its components described including: identifying, selecting, prioritizing, resourcing, and governing the organization's work. Then methods for accomplishing and evaluating portfolio management are detailed and are demonstrated using a case study.

Strategic Leadership of Portfolio and Project Management is an eight-chapter book written by Timothy J. Kloppenborg, the Castellini Distinguished Professor of Management at Xavier University, Cincinnati, Ohio, and Laurence J. Laning,a thirty-year IT executive who also teaches at Xavier. The book was published in January of 2012 by Business Expert Press. Written for executives, managers, and students of strategic management, the text addresses the gap between executives who determine strategy and the project managers who implement it. The authors advise leadership teams on implementing strategy through identifying, selecting, prioritizing, resourcing, and governing an optimal combination of projects that collectively helps them achieve their strategic goals. The book also guides executives about what they need to do at each project stage and how they can ensure project managers understand fully how their projects contribute to overall strategy. Further, the authors detail how regular reporting and quarterly updates in planning help to ensure results; propose proven, simple methods of collecting integral data; examine effective decision making methods; and explain how portfolio and project decisions must be made based on data using reliable analytical methods. In Chapter 3, the authors discuss the duties, motivations, and challenges of executives serving as a project sponsors. Executive sponsorship is defined and the responsibilities of a sponsor at each stage in the project life cycle are detailed. The chapter also examines the few select behaviors and high value activities executive sponsors can perform at each stage of a project to increase the probability of project success.

Strategic Leadership of Portfolio and Project Management is an eight-chapter book written by Timothy J. Kloppenborg, the Castellini Distinguished Professor of Management at Xavier University, Cincinnati, Ohio, and Laurence J. Laning,a thirty-year IT executive who also teaches at Xavier. The book was published in January of 2012 by Business Expert Press. Written for executives, managers, and students of strategic management, the text addresses the gap between executives who determine strategy and the project managers who implement it. The authors advise leadership teams on implementing strategy through identifying, selecting, prioritizing, resourcing, and governing an optimal combination of projects that collectively helps them achieve their strategic goals. The book also guides executives about what they need to do at each project stage and how they can ensure project managers understand fully how their projects contribute to overall strategy. Further, the authors detail how regular reporting and quarterly updates in planning help to ensure results; propose proven, simple methods of collecting integral data; examine effective decision making methods; and explain how portfolio and project decisions must be made based on data using reliable analytical methods. Chapter 4 describes the role, duties, and leadership skills required of executives when supervising a project manager. The responsibilities of a project manager are examined at each project stage so that an executive can understand the different roles a project manager plays as opposed to those of a functional manager. The specific task and coaching responsibilities of a project executive are also discussed at each stage of the project life cycle.

Strategic Leadership of Portfolio and Project Management is an eight-chapter book written by Timothy J. Kloppenborg, the Castellini Distinguished Professor of Management at Xavier University, Cincinnati, Ohio, and Laurence J. Laning,a thirty-year IT executive who also teaches at Xavier. The book was published in January of 2012 by Business Expert Press. Written for executives, managers, and students of strategic management, the text addresses the gap between executives who determine strategy and the project managers who implement it. The authors advise leadership teams on implementing strategy through identifying, selecting, prioritizing, resourcing, and governing an optimal combination of projects that collectively helps them achieve their strategic goals. The book also guides executives about what they need to do at each project stage and how they can ensure project managers understand fully how their projects contribute to overall strategy. Further, the authors detail how regular reporting and quarterly updates in planning help to ensure results; propose proven, simple methods of collecting integral data; examine effective decision making methods; and explain how portfolio and project decisions must be made based on data using reliable analytical methods. Chapter 6 discusses the role of the Chief Information Officer and provides a practical overview of information technology and its purposes in business. Significant recent developments in IT and techniques for designing IT enterprise architecture are examined. The chapter shows how the CIO works with other executives to define a strategic IT master plan, and concludes with a presentation on best practices regarding the use of IT consultants and IT vendor companies. The chapter contains three appendices that discuss technology basics (software, hardware, telecommunications, the internet 1.0 and 2.0, and databases), IT global standards, and commercial software contracting basics.

Strategic Leadership of Portfolio and Project Management is an eight-chapter book written by Timothy J. Kloppenborg, the Castellini Distinguished Professor of Management at Xavier University, Cincinnati, Ohio, and Laurence J. Laning,a thirty-year IT executive who also teaches at Xavier. The book was published in January of 2012 by Business Expert Press. Written for executives, managers, and students of strategic management, the text addresses the gap between executives who determine strategy and the project managers who implement it. The authors advise leadership teams on implementing strategy through identifying, selecting, prioritizing, resourcing, and governing an optimal combination of projects that collectively helps them achieve their strategic goals. The book also guides executives about what they need to do at each project stage and how they can ensure project managers understand fully how their projects contribute to overall strategy. Further, the authors detail how regular reporting and quarterly updates in planning help to ensure results; propose proven, simple methods of collecting integral data; examine effective decision making methods; and explain how portfolio and project decisions must be made based on data using reliable analytical methods. In Chapter 7 the authors discuss the analysis of data in making strategic decisions. Techniques to define, collect, clean, and analyze high quality data are examined. A selection of simple yet powerful analytical techniques to better make strategic decisions is provided. The chapter contains two appendices discussing additional quantitative and qualitative analytical techniques.

Strategic Leadership of Portfolio and Project Management is an eight-chapter book written by Timothy J. Kloppenborg, the Castellini Distinguished Professor of Management at Xavier University, Cincinnati, Ohio, and Laurence J. Laning,a thirty-year IT executive who also teaches at Xavier. The book was published in January of 2012 by Business Expert Press. Written for executives, managers, and students of strategic management, the text addresses the gap between executives who determine strategy and the project managers who implement it. The authors advise leadership teams on implementing strategy through identifying, selecting, prioritizing, resourcing, and governing an optimal combination of projects that collectively helps them achieve their strategic goals. The book also guides executives about what they need to do at each project stage and how they can ensure project managers understand fully how their projects contribute to overall strategy. Further, the authors detail how regular reporting and quarterly updates in planning help to ensure results; propose proven, simple methods of collecting integral data; examine effective decision making methods; and explain how portfolio and project decisions must be made based on data using reliable analytical methods. Chapter 8 highlights the key learnings and takeaways from each chapter and presents ideas for implementing the authors' ideas within an organization.

Riverside District Memorial Hospital is a small rural hospital that must work within an operational budget that is determined by the Ministry of Health and Long Term Care. This case identifies the emergence of concerns for patient safety related to medication administration, and the challenges of ensuring that professional services are maintained by the pharmacy department to serve patients admitted to hospital. The chief nursing executive must decide what steps should be taken to reduce medication errors, in the context of the complex relationships at Riverside.

GameStop has effectively utilized a business model based on retailing new and used electronic games. The case allows the instructor to illustrate the strategies that GameStop used to consolidate its game retail business in the United States. It also provides the instructor with the opportunity to explore the peculiar target market segments in the electronic gaming industry. Finally, the instructor can explore competition and future expansion into different markets with dissimilar environments. Management responses to the following questions regarding company growth are explored: 1) Can you continue your aggressive store growth? 2) What about digital downloading? 3) Will the used business continue to grow?

A consortium of private equity firms (KKR and Silver Lake Partners) is in the process of acquiring the semi-conductor division of Agilent. To prepare for the signing of the acquisition agreement and the subsequent transfer of ownership, the deal team is revisiting their investment thesis with respect to upsides and risks. Please visit the dedicated case website http://cases.insead.edu/chips-on-the-side/ (copy and paste the url into a browser).

After the transformation of Lloyds Bank from an unfocused and underperforming group to a focused highly-performing bank under Brian Pitman (1983-1996), the incoming CEO takes on the challenge of redefining the bank's strategy and operations, facing difficult choices regarding the firm's scope and internationalization. Ultimately, Lloyds's board of directors end up facing significant corporate governance issues with long-term implications for the future of the company.

After the transformation of Lloyds Bank from an unfocused and underperforming group to a focused highly-performing bank under Brian Pitman (1983-1996), the incoming CEO takes on the challenge of redefining the bank's strategy and operations, facing difficult choices regarding the firm's scope and internationalization. Ultimately, Lloyds's board of directors end up facing significant corporate governance issues with long-term implications for the future of the company.

After the transformation of Lloyds Bank from an unfocused and underperforming group to a focused highly-performing bank under Brian Pitman (1983-1996), the incoming CEO takes on the challenge of redefining the bank's strategy and operations, facing difficult choices regarding the firm's scope and internationalization. Ultimately, Lloyds's board of directors end up facing significant corporate governance issues with long-term implications for the future of the company.